Patrick Cappiello

OUR EXPERT

Heat spoils wine, but you still don't need a vast cellar—or any cellar—to store your collection. An entry-level wine fridge will keep a case at the right temp (56 degrees) all the time, and extra bottles can go under your bed or in any cool, dark place. “So often I go to my friends' apartments and they have their IKEA wine rack right next to the oven,” says sleeve-tattooed sommelier Patrick Cappiello.“You couldn't find a warmer place to store your fucking wine if you tried.”

Don't Get Screwed on a Fancy Corkscrew

“The ones we use at the restaurant are this model called Pulltap's and cost about ten bucks,” Cappiello says. “I like the ones with a double hinge, which makes getting the cork out easier.”

It's Cheaper by the Dozen

Rather than buying a new bottle every time you're thirsty, invest in one mixed case of everyday reds and one of whites, each with bottles around $20. You want a range, from light to full-bodied. “Most stores will give you a discount of about 10 percent if you buy a case,” Cappiello says. “Why wouldn't you just do it all at once and save yourself 12 separate trips?”

Forget Pricey Champagne

Staying within France, look for an underrated (read: affordable) sparkling wine called Crémant from the Loire Valley or the Jura.

Crank Up the Volume

Cappiello, a vinyl junkie, compares a wineglass to a stereo speaker: “The better constructed it is, the more it amplifies.” So spend extra on two (for now) of Zalto's thin but durable glasses with fat bowls, which enhance even your everyday sippers. And no, you don't need separate sets for white and bubbly—these work with everything.

Step It Up for the Weekend

These are date-night bottles. Dinner-party bottles. Bottles to drink with that cook-all-day bolognese sauce you slaved over. They generally cost a little more, like $25 to $50. “You want to have special-occasion bottles on hand,” Cappiello says, “because you never know when you're gonna have an opportunity to celebrate.”

Splurge on the Future

Keep your mitts off your best bottles for a few years and they really will improve. Brawny Italian reds (a Barolo or Brunello, say) make classic investment wines, but you know what also ages well? White Burgundies. “You might age a bottle from a child's birth year or your wedding anniversary—any year that has special meaning.”

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